Where The Newspaper Stands

October 21, 2002

Taxation 101

Tuition hikes: A tax increase by another name

How much should a Virginian -- or his or her parents -- pay for an education at one of the state's public colleges?

The answer to that question, it seems obvious, should depend on how much it costs to provide that education. And some thoughtful consideration of how much of that cost the student should pay, and how much should be covered by public funds, given the benefits the state reaps from the colleges and their graduates.

Yeah, right.

In Virginia, the answer is more likely to depend on who occupies the governor's mansion and who's cutting deals in the General Assembly.

And here we go again.

When colleges and universities were hit with the first round of budget cuts last spring, they responded by raising tuition, most by about 9 percent. Facing the loss of millions of dollars in state support, they turned where they could -- to students and their families -- for money to pay for the faculty and facilities that are the stuff of education. They knew that, unlike legislators, parents couldn't refuse them. Critics wailed that Gov. Mark Warner was playing a shell game, dredging money out of one group of taxpayers -- parents -- to plug the holes in other parts of the state budget.

Now the leak in the budget has turned into a gusher, and another round of cuts has been announced, with more to come. Watch out, parents. The University of Virginia has announced a mid-year tuition hike. William and Mary President Tim Sullivan and Paul Trible at Christopher Newport University have also raised the specter of tuition increases, along with layoffs, furloughs and cuts in education programs.

The governor has made it clear: Colleges can (should?) hike tuition to offset the deep cuts they face. Warner probably felt he had little choice: If higher education didn't take part of the budget hit, cuts in other state services would be even more brutal.

Every college president and board in Virginia is undoubtedly crunching the numbers. They're desperate. And they know something that their friends in Richmond seem to forget -- that as the budget for higher education, already cut to the bone, is slashed still deeper, their ability to attract and retain the best students and faculty will be threatened and then lost. And one of the state's crown jewels, the exemplary system of higher education started by men like Thomas Jefferson and George Wythe, will be dismantled by the ineptitude and cowardice of those who claim to lead three centuries later.

Perhaps tuition and fees should be higher. After all, many of Virginia's schools are a bargain, given their academic quality. Several, including the big-name schools, rank among the best college values in the nation -- an indication, perhaps, that they are underpriced, or at least, certainly not overpriced.

But the setting of tuition should be based on rational, deliberate decisions about the place of education in the state's priorities, quality of life and economic goals. And about how affordable education should be.

It should not be a pawn in political games -- as it has been for a decade now. First, Gov. Doug Wilder used the budget crisis he faced as a rationale for pulling money out of higher education, setting off a round of tuition hikes. When the state gravy train started running again, Gov. George Allen and state legislators froze tuition. Then Gov. Jim Gilmore cut it 20 percent - - even though costs were rising. This year, as Virginia faces another budget crisis, it looks like the politicians are going to do it again: Knowing colleges can fall back on parents, they'll force them to.

A mid-year tuition hike is just a tax by another name. And, for politicians, it's a cowardly way out of a budget crisis that is largely of their own making.

Culture costs

Virginia should support the arts -- rationally

For years, the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk was the envy of museums across Virginia. Not for its collections or facilities or programs -- wonderful though they are -- but for its friends in Richmond. Year in and year out, the Chrysler, a private art museum, made ends meet thanks to a steady stream of money from the General Assembly. But when the state gravy train pulled out, the museum had to close one day a week, cut exhibitions and charge visitors more. Now, it's weaning itself off the state dole and has launched a campaign to raise money to support operations and special projects.

The Chrysler's case illustrates the basic problem with funding for the arts and culture in Virginia. It's undependable and insufficient. And it's not managed rationally, but churned out by the pork-producing behind-the-scenes political machine.

The Chrysler is certainly worthy of support; so are many other Virginia cultural organizations. But worth doesn't have much to do with who gets money.

Virginia trails most other states in support for the arts. It doles those measly dollars out to two types of organizations.